The CSGA Links Volume 3 Issue 6 September 2015

The third reason that you should have a routine could be the most important when it comes to handling pressure. Far too often I see players change their routine under pressure for the right reasons with the wrong results. An example of this would when you have a 12-foot birdie putt to move up the leaderboard, or break your personal best score or maybe even to win the back nine press. All of a sudden, you start adding things to what was your routine. You look at the putt from angles you normally don’t. You take more practice strokes. Why do you do these extras? Because you think you should. The importance of the shot gets you to think that you owe it to yourself to do more. I see junior players doing more in order to show their parents that they are “trying really hard” to make the putt. The problem with this break in the routine is that you are taking in more data points than you know what to do with. If you never look at a putt from behind the hole but did on this putt, what should you see? How will you use the added data? Adding this extra data can more easily confuse you than help you. As we add data to what should be a consistent routine you can get confused and are adding more time. Time to think about how important this shot is! This is one of the classic ways that good players do not perform to their potential under pressure. Another way I see players break their routine is by going through the steps but speeding everything up. This is common under pressure. The consistent timing of the routine is in some ways as important as the steps involved. When the timing of the routine is consistent, it flows nicely from one step to the next and you start the stroke or the swing seemingly sub-consciously. Take the time to develop a routine that: A) Encompasses all the steps that should be included B) Does not leave room for wildcard steps C) Becomes a habit Your scores AND your blood pressure will be lower as a result. 1 Visualize www.csgalinks.org 2 Set-Up 3 Align 4 Prepare 5 Execute CSGA Links // September, 2015 | 11

The CSGA Links Volume 3 Issue 6 September 2015 | Page 11